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The rise in ADHD diagnoses among kids indicates one of two things: either children are more fidgety and less able to focus these days, or parents and doctors have become less patient with the squirms and jiggles of childhood.
ADHD: A Global Epidemic or Just a Bunch of Fidgety Kids?
Seeded on Thu Sep 23, 2010 1:05 PM EDT
Article Source: TIME- Enjoy this article? Help vote it up the 'Vine.
- Public Discussion (7)
In other words, constant fidgeting may not be a disease that needs a medication. It might just be a sign, around the globe, of the condition known as childhood.
Oh, wait, it might be about THE $$.
- 1 vote
#1 - Thu Sep 23, 2010 1:08 PM EDTIf I as a child were under today's review, I would have been considered ADHD. I loved to run and play, tap my feet, tap my pencil and ask many many questions which irritated adults. I would have been medicated - not for my benefit - but for the adults around me that didn't have the energy to keep up with my curiosity and need to play.
- 4 votes
#2 - Thu Sep 23, 2010 1:39 PM EDTI was diagnosed with ADD when I was in the fifth grade. I tapped my foot, shivered alot ( my teacher kept the thermostat at 60 degrees), and I had a thought process most found " confusing". I still have no idea what they meant by that, but I guess that is a minor detail.
I was on one of ten different prescriptions by the time I turned 18. Some of them had an affect on me. One caused me to sleep about 15 hours of the day, causing my grades to drop. Another made me very irritable, which lead to a drop in grades and a few fights. Another led to me being a zombie, little to no visible emotion and a lack of interest in life in general. The others had any combination of those effects. Oh, and a suppressed appetite, did I mention that? I weighed no more than 120 pounds before I turned 16.
When I turned 18, I just stopped taking them. I got lucky because I had no withdrawl, but as soon as I did I felt better than I could remember feeling. Unfortunately, it was too late to salvage my GPA before I graduated. And do to the influence of the drugs I got bumped down from the university path to the technical path, which was the schools subtle way of culling the lower scoring students so they could still claim high test scores.
All I can say is if any of my kids are diagnosed with ADD or ADHD, I'll tell the doctor to get his/her head out of her ass and use her schooling to help kids instead of pushing drugs.
- 2 votes
#3 - Thu Sep 23, 2010 3:39 PM EDTI would say that most of the time drugs are not needed. The parents do not know what is "normal'' anymore. The Doctors do not want (or the insurance companies do not want to pay for) to take the time to find out what may really be the problem--allergies or bad diet can make a kid hyper. Teachers just want students that will sit still and not disrupt. Who can blame them when they are trying to teach 30 8-year olds? Drugs are just cheaper and easier-- never mind the long term effects of them.
- 2 votes
#4 - Sat Sep 25, 2010 5:37 AM EDTSo you are saying this, over-use of ADD drugs, could simply be a symptom of bad parenting and an overcrowded school system?
First of all I DON'T speak for Gnosis But-
I think several factors are creating a perfect storm of circumstances for children to be overprescribed and mis-diagnosed.
First off, the drug companies are HIGHLY tuned in to social trends and phenomenon. Recognizing a parental demographic that is over extended, under financed stressed and lacking time they have sought to fill that void by creating drugs which will SEEMINGLY calm children and make a parents life "EASIER".
In their quest to market their product they have "cut to the chase" by teaching doctors and teachers to "recognize" the signs of ADD/ADHD and insentive-ized these professionals financially into being the point of purchase for this EASE.
These professional themselves being subject to the same stressors of modern society then become model salesmen and motivated to promote the product line and thereby extend this social phenomenon. To the tune of BILLIONS.
- 1 vote
I don't mean bad parenting, I mean uneducated parenting. In past generations, there was Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles and older siblings to help with the children. They "taught" new parents basically what seemed normal or not and would be the first ones to tell you if they thought something was wrong, but now extended families are spread out and may only get to see each other a few times a year, if that. New parents now seek that advice from doctors and teachers, who may have their own reasons for wanting your energetic kid on medications that has nothing to do with the well-being of your child.
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